■ Appalachian State led all programs with four first-team selections and six overall selections on The Sports Network's 2009 FCS All-America teams, TSN announced on Wednesday.
Quarterback Armanti Edwards, linebacker D.J. Smith, cornerback Cortez Gilbert and safety Mark LeGree of ASU made the first team, along with wide receiver Terrell Hudgins of Elon.
Also, guards Mario Acitelli of ASU and David Harrison of Elon, linebacker Adrian McLeod of Western Carolina were second-team picks, and linebacker Jacque Roman of ASU made the third team.
■ Three more Ohio State players will miss the Rose Bowl because of unspecified violations of team rules.
Coach Jim Tressel confirmed on his weekly radio show Tuesday that Ray Small, the team's top kick returner, and Rob Rose, a backup defensive lineman, would not travel with the Buckeyes for the Jan. 1 game against Oregon. Tressel also said that walk-on running back Bo Delande would not make the trip.
Freshman wide receiver Duron Carter -- the son of Cris Carter a former Ohio State and NFL star, was declared ineligible last week shortly after grades were released. Ohio State would not say why Carter was unavailable to play.
The team is scheduled to arrive in California today.
Small is the fastest player on the roster, a deep threat as a receiver who averaged 27 yards on kickoff returns and 8.3 yards on punt returns. He also was third on the team with 15 receptions for 175 yards. Rose was in the rotation on the defensive line and has two sacks this season.
■ Fiesta Bowl officials say that an inquiry they commissioned found "no credible evidence" that the bowl's management engaged in illegal or unethical conduct.
Bowl officials asked Grant Woods, a former Arizona attorney general, to investigate allegations that bowl employees received bonuses for making campaign contributions to specific political candidates -- a violation of federal and state laws.
Alan Young, the Fiesta Bowl Chairman, said in an e-mail that Woods was retained to perform an independent review. Woods is recommending that the Fiesta Bowl clarify its policies and procedures to avoid future allegations of impropriety.
■ Tailback Joe McKnight has rejoined Southern California for practice after missing early preparations for the Emerald Bowl.
McKnight still hasn't been cleared by the school to play against Boston College on Saturday night. USC is investigating his use of an SUV that doesn't belong to him.
McKnight practiced with the Trojans in Los Angeles on Monday, but stayed home to deal with compliance issues when the Trojans traveled to San Francisco. McKnight is USC's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2005.
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